A troublesome woman
by fictionalhearts
Summary: AU. Shikamaru can't believe Ino talked him into going to a nightclub. It doesn't get better when some troublesome woman steps on him, and make it sound like it was his fault. Unfortunately he keeps running into her, and his feet keeps getting stepped on.
1. Chapter 1

**Shikamaru and Temari are two of my favorite characters in Naruto. I like them both as individuals and as a couple. This is my first try to write a ShikaTema fanfic and I really hope you'll like it.**

* * *

Shikamaru couldn't believe that Ino had talked him into going out on the dance floor. Actually, he couldn't believe that she talked him into going to this club in the first place. He liked going out with his friends to get a couple of beers, at a bar, not at a crowded club that played too loud music. He didn't even like dancing. Ino, on the other hand, liked to dance and suprisingly even Choji had some good moves. But Shikamaru preferred to just sit down, drink his beer and try to have a conversation.

Now he was on his way to the bar, or rather pushing his way to the bar. This place was too damn crowded. What a drag. One more beer and then he was going to call it a night. He finally reached the bar, and it seemed to be even more crowded than on the dance floor. How was that even possible?

He managed to get the bartenders attention and ordered a beer. Someone bumped into him, but it didn't bother him that much. What happened after did bother him. He got his beer and was just about to turn around and leave the bar when someone stepped on him. And the person didn't just step on him, she stood on his foot - with razor sharp heels. And it hurt like hell.

"Hey, you're standing on my foot," Shikamaru said and tried to make himself heard over the loud music while he also tried to make the person get off his foot.

A woman slowly turned around, clearly annoyed that he interrupted her conversion with who ever it was, and eyed him up and down. She had teal eyes and her blond hair was pulled back into four ponytails. One look at her and Shikamaru knew she was trouble.

"You know, this place is kind of crowded," she said. "So if you don't want someone to step on you you should watch where you put your feet."

"It's not like I want someone to step on me, especially not with heels like that."

"Then watch where you put your feet," she said and turned back to her friend.

Shikamaru sighed and with a slight limp he walked to a currently free table close to where Ino and Choji where dancing. He sat down and drank his beer. His foot was hurting and he wished he was already home, lying in his bed.

Choji left the dance floor and sat down next to him. When Ino joined them a short while after they where finally leaving the club.

"What happened to your foot?" Choji asked when he noticed that Shikamaru was limping.

"Some woman stepped on me with her high heels," Shikamaru said and glanced at the heels Ino was wearing. "And she made it sound like it was my fault."

"That's rude," Choji said.

"Poor Shikamaru," Ino said. "But other than that you had at least a little fun, right?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Can we go somewhere and eat before we get home," Choji asked. "I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry, Choji," Ino complained. "You should really start thinking about your weight. I've told you that so many times already."

"Like you, you mean? You're too skinny."

"Sai thinks I'm beautiful," Ino said and looked away.

Sai was her on-and-off boyfriend. He was an extremly talented artist but he lacked any kind of social skills. That's why they where on and off and for the moment they where off. But they would get back together again. They always did.

At least she wasn't obsessing over Sasuke anymore. Ino had had a crush on him for as long as Shikamaru had known her. He didn't really like the guy and never understood what was so special about him. Sakura, Ino's best friend, had also been obsessing over Sasuke, and it almost cost them their friendship. Sasuke on the other hand, didn't care about any of them. Or so it seemed anyway, because in the end Sakura was the one who won his heart. Ino met Sai and the girls became close friends again.

Ino and Choji where still bickering and Shikamaru sighed.

"Choji is Choji and you are who you are, so can we just leave it like that?"

They stopped bickering. They got their food and later, when Shikamaru was finally home in his apartment he lay down on his bed and he was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

* * *

Shikamaru woke up to the annoying sound of the alarm. He was to tired to turn it off. Why did he set the alarm, anyway? It was Saturday. Then he realized it wasn't the alarm, it was his phone ringing.

It was Choji telling him to get up and meet him for lunch. He agreed, and sighed when Choji informed him that it was lunch time already. He got dressed and took a walk to the pizza place where he was meeting Choji. He was sitting at one of the tables outside, already trying to decide what to order. Shikamaru sat down on the other side of the table.

His attention was immediately caught by a woman with her blond her pulled back into four ponytails. She was wearing sunglasses and looked bored. Her legs were crossed under the table and her foot moved to a beat only she could hear. Two guys came up to the table and sat down next to her.

"Whar are you looking at?"Choji wondered.

"Nothing," Shikamaru answered and turned his gaze to the pizza menu.

He ordered the same pizza as he always did. He knew he liked it. Why order something he wasn't sure he would like?

While they were waiting for their pizzas Shikamarus eyes turned in the direction of the blond woman again. The two men looked like they could be relatives to her. One of them had a tattoo on his forehead. Why would anyone want a tattoo on their forehead?

Shikamaru quickly turnes his attention to the waitress who arrived with their pizzas. He didn't want to get caught staring. He wasn't even interested. He didn't want to run into that woman and her high heals again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for the follows, the faves and the reviews. Here is the second chapter and it's from Temari's point of view.**

* * *

Temari was glad that Kankuro had talked her into joining him at the nightclub. It was exactly what she needed, and he probably knew that. It was her first time at this nightclub, but Kankuro had been there a couple of times before. The place had been crowded, but the music was good and it was fun to watch all the people and their drunk behavior.

Some of the guys failed miserably trying to flirt with some of the women, others where more lucky and hooked up for the night. A couple of guys tried to hit on her, but they were unlucky. She wasn't there to find a guy for the night, she was there to have fun. She could be really intimidating when she wanted to, and tonight she wanted to be intimidating when guys showed her unwanted attention. That game had never interested her.

She didn't dance, but she watched others dance. Some of them where really good, and some of them were definitely not. But they all seemed to have fun.

Temari was standing by the bar, talking to Kankuro and waiting for the bartender to bring her drink, when someone bumped into her.

"You're standing on my foot."

She could barely hear him over the loud music. Annoyed she turned around and eyed him up and down. The guy was slim and slightly taller than her. His dark hair was pulled back into a high ponytail.

"You now, this place is kind of crowded, so if you don't want to be stepped on you should watch where you put your feet."

She wasn't even aware that she had stepped on him. It was an accident, he didn't have to make a big deal about it.

"It's not like I want someone to step on me, especially not with heels like that."

"Then watch where you put your feet"

Temari turned back to Kankuro and the guy muttered something about a troublesome woman. She didn't care. It wasn't like she was going to see him again.

* * *

Temari was sitting at a table outside the pizza place. She was waiting for her brothers and of course they were late. Maybe she should be used to it by now. They were often late. Or maybe she was the one who was early.

She was thankful she was wearing sun glasses. She was a bit nauseous, hungry and slightly hungover. She had woken up with a headache, but it was probably not as bad as Kankuro's. He had been drinking more than her.

She folded her arms and leaned back against the chair. She crossed her legs under the table and moved her foot to a melody inside her head. No high heals today, today she was wearing her favorite sneakers, leggings and an oversized sweatshirt. A more casual look than the night before. With a sigh she looked at the watch on her wrist. They should be here by now. She lloked up and saw Kankuro and Gaara walk towards her. Kankuro was also wearing sunglasses and she could tell he had a headache.

The guys sat down and they ordered their pizza. They often met for lunch like this. The three of them were really close, although Temari were closer to Kankuro than Gaara. Growing up had been though for all of them and Temari had been the one to take care of her younger brothers. Their mother had died when Gaara was born. Their father wasn't sure how to deal with Gaara due to his mental condition. He was very unstable, angry, unable to relate to other's and only cared for himself. He was either acting out or withdrawn and calm. Both Kankuro and Temari had been afraid of his behavior when they were younger. But he became more stable when they found the right medication. And somehow he found a really good friend in a boy named Naruto. His friendship, and the medication, changed Gaara, who had been very lonely during his childhood. The siblings became closer and Kankuro and Temari where no longer afraid of him.

Temari loved her brothers. They all had their scars, but they had each other. She listened to them talking about last night and making plans for the next weekend. Kankuro had heard about another place that he wanted to check out.

Temari looked around a little and her gaze fell on a guy with his dark hair pulled back into a high ponytail. He was facing her direction, sitting across the table from a chubby guy. It was the guy from last night. He was talking to his friend, but she could sense that he'd rather be somewhere else. She didn't expect to see him again, and she probably wouldn't do it again. His hair made her think of a pineapple. Maybe she should buy one on her way home.

They finished their pizza and left the pizza place. Temari got her bike and walked with her brothers to the buss stop. Kankuro was the only one of them with a car but he wasn't driving today. Temari had a driving license but no car. She borrowed Kankuro's from time to time, when he was in the mood to let her borrow it. Gaara didn't even have a license.

They said goodbye and Temari road her bike to the grocery store. She got what she needed and went home. When she lay down on her couch with her eyes closed and listened to the sound from the television she remembered that she forgot to by a pineapple.

* * *

 **I hope you like the story so far. I know the chapters are pretty short and i will try to make the following chapters a little longer.**


	3. Chapter 3

This was the ideal life. Shikamaru was lying on his back on the grass in the park watching the clouds. He was lying under a tree with his arms folded behind his head and his legs where stretched out and crossed by the ankles.

He liked his job at the office, but he took every chance he got to come out here and just relax. Out here he didn't have to care about anything, he could just relax and watch the clouds in the sky.

He was rather lazy and preferred to do as little as possible. Despite his high intellect, he didn't expect much of live nor was he interested in a career with a lot of responsibility.

"Shikamaru!"

He sighed. There it was, responsibility calling. His lunch break was almost over, but he was in no hurry to get back to work. But he knew how annoying Ino could get so he got up and walked to the walk path where she was waiting for him. He put his hands in his pockets and slowly followed her back to the office.

"Did you forget about the conference call?" Ino asked. "Even though you don't have to meet them in person you still have to make the call."

"Can't someone else do it?"

"It's your project."

Shikamaru sighed. He had no idea why he had agreed to that in the first place. It was his mentor Asuma who thought it was time for him to take more responsibility, and it was one step closer to a career that he didn't really want.

"Do you have any plans for tonight?" Ino asked as they entered the office building.

"Not really. Why?

"You can come with me to that club again."

"Why don't you ask the girls?"

"They're busy."

"What about Choji?"

"He's got a date."

"A date?" Shikamaru asked and raised an eyebrow. "Choji?"

"Well, it's not really a date. He met this girl online somewhere and they're gonna have a video chat or whatever. He's really nervous about it."

"Why didn't I know about it?

"Because you where in the park, " Ino said matter-of-factly. "Come on, Shikamaru?"

"Why don't you just ask Sai?"

Ino and Sai had gotten back together a couple of days ago.

"Because he's out of town this weekend, on some art conference or something. Come on, Shikamaru. I just want to go out with a friend and have some fun. You liked it the last time."

She looked at him with her best puppy dog eyes and he gave up.

"Fine. But I'm not dancing. And if you hook up with someone I'm leaving."

"I'm not gonna hook up with someone, I have boyfriend!" Ino said and glared at him before she waked into her office.

A conference call and then a night club. What a drag. He just wanted to get some beers and watch a movie. But last time hadn't been that bad, he would probably survive this time too.

He saw Choji across the room. He had no idea how he managed to eat potato chips the way he did and still manage to get any work done. He must be really nervous. While watching Choji Shikamaru realized he was just stalling the inevitable. He walked into the conference room and made the call. He might as well get it over with.

* * *

Shikamaru survived the night out with Ino. The night club was too crowded just like the last time, but at least he found Kiba and Shino. He sat down next to them, drank his beer and talked to them about work and things that had happened during the.

Ino had fun on the dance floor and Shikamaru refused to join her when he didn't have too. Well he wasn't exactly forced to the last time, but Ino could be pretty persuasive. He came there with her but that didn't mean he had to be with her all the time. She preferred the dance floor and he preferred to sit down. He hadn't seen Kiba and Shino in a while so it was nice to talk to them. They had some catching up to do. Ino sat down with them from time to time but spent most of her time on the dance floor.

The guys walked to the bar to get more beer and it didn't take long before Shikamaru found himself in the same situation as the last time he'd been there. People around him pushed their way to the bar or away from it, and suddenly he felt a sharp heel on his toes. He turned his head and gave the person standing on him a slight push to get their attention. He didn't recognize her at first, she was only wearing one ponytail tonight, but it was the same woman as the last time. Of course it was. What a drag.

"You're standing on my foot."

"There's a lot of people standing her, so maybe you should watch your feet." She looked at him. "Haven't we had this conversation before?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

She turned back to the bar, and Shikamaru sighed.

"Can you at least step away from my foot?"

"Haven't I done that already?" she said and looked down on their feet. She gave him a quick fake smile and moved her foot.

Shikamaru got his beer and sighed as he left the bar, his foot stlll hurting.

"What was that about?" Kiba asked as they sat down at their table again.

"I met her the last time I was here," Shikamaru explained. "She stepped on me and made it sound as it was my fault. And now she did it again. Troublesome woman."

Kiba looked at her. She was still standing at the bar.

"She's good looking."

"I haven't noticed," Shikamaru said and wasn't interested in talking about it anymore. But he couldn't believe she stepped on him again. What was the odds for that?


	4. Chapter 4

**This update took a lot longer than I planned. I didn't realize it's been more than a month since I posted the last chapter. But here is the new chapter, finally. This story has a slow start, as you probably noticed. But keep reading, it will get better.**

* * *

Shikamaru hid a yawn behind the back of his hand. But apparently he wasn't as discreet as he thought, because Asuma put down the documents he was reading from and looked at him.

"Are we boring you, Shikamaru?" he said and six pairs of eyes turned in Shikamaru's direction

"No, sir," he said and awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. "It's just... bad air in here."

The truth was, he was bored. They had been in this meeting room for about an hour and a half discussing a new project he didn't really want to be involved in. But thanks to Asuma he was, again. The biggest problem with this meeting was that they didn't seem to be agreeing about anything. They all had good ideas, but making all of them agree on which ideas to work with turned out to be more difficult than they thought. They weren't fighting, but the indecision drove Shikamaru crazy. He even thought about taking charge of the meeting and tell everyone which ideas would suit the project best, and give the most effective result. But that would take to much effort.

Asuma looked around the room and then looked at Shikamaru again and sighed.

"Alright, let's take a break. Be back here in 20 minutes."

They all looked somewhat releaved to be out of the meeting for a moment. Shikamaru was just about to leave the room when Asuma stopped him.

"Shikamaru."

Shikamaru stopped at the doorway and turned around to look at his mentor.

"I know you Shikamaru, and I know you've been analyzing anything that's been said in here, but you've barely said anything. I also know this is boring the hell out of you."

No point in denying it. Asuma did know him very well.

"Get some fresh air, come back here and focus."

Shikamaru nodded and left the meeting room. He needed coffee, lots of coffee. Luckily there was a coffee shop down the street. He walked there with his hands in his pockets. He opened the door to the coffee shop and sighed when he saw the long line. He wasn't sure he would be able to make his order before he had to be back at the office, What a drag.

The line didn't seem to move at all and Shikamaru really wanted coffee. He took a step away from the line to see what was going on in the front and a woman crashed into him. She stepped on his toes and the mug with coffee she was carrying hit his chest.

Shikamaru inhaled sharply when the hot liquid burned the skin on his stomach. He grabbed his shirt and pulled it away from his body. A large brown stain covered the front of his navy green shirt. With a heavy sigh he looked up and looked at the woman who had crashed into him. It was that woman with four ponytails. She was wearing leggings and an oversized sweater, and a very annoyed look on her face.

"Great," Shikamaru said. "So stepping on me isn't enough. You have to throw your coffee on me too."

"This was not my fault! You really have to watch where you put your feet." She looked down on her almost empty take away mug. "And you owe me a new cup of coffee."

"In that case you owe me a clean shirt," Shikamaru said.

He was not in the mood for this. They glared at each other for a moment.

"I don't have time for this." they said in unison.

They walked towards the exit. The reached for the door handle at the same time and the woman glated at him again. He took a step back with his hands up. He sighed as he watched her leave and looked down at his shirt again.

He didn't want to go back to the office looking like this. But there was no time for him to go home and change. Why wasn't this a conference call, like last time? Then he could go to the meeting and no one would know about the big coffee stain on his shirt. Now the whole office would know about it. And all the people he met walking back there... He sighed, put his hands in his pockets and started walking.

"Shikamaru, what happened?" Ino said as soon as she saw him at the office.

"I don't want to talk about it," he said flatly and walked past her.

He entered the meeting room and sat down. He could tell eveybody was looking at him and crossed his arms and lowered his gaze.

Asuma cleared his troath and looked at him.

"Did something happen, Shikamaru?" he asked.

"No," Shikamaru said but he didn't meet his mentors gaze.

"Alright, let's continue the meeting."

Shikamaru listened to the others coninue their discussions about the project and he managed to forget about the stain for a while. But he still wanted coffee, and the only coffee he got was the one on his shirt.


	5. Chapter 5

**I didn't plan for this chapter to take so long. I have most of the story in my head, I just haven't been motivated to write. Then I started wtiting this but wasn't sure how to finish the chapter. But that is about to change, my motivation is coming back, and hopefully you won't have to wait so long for the next chapter.**

* * *

Temari was in a bad mood. She had overslept, which she almost never did. Somehow she had turned off he alarm and then fell back to sleep, that was unlike her. She only had an apple for breakfast and she didn't get the coffee she had been craving. The line at the coffee shop had taken forever, and when she finally got her coffee she only managed to take one sip before she crashed into that guy with the high ponytail. All her precious coffee had landed on his shirt. He said it was her fault, but obviously it was his fault for stepping out of the line like that. He really needed to learn to watch where he was going! He had an annoying habit of getting in her way.

And now she was here, in an art gallery talking to the manager on Gaara's behalf. He wasn't good with people he didn't know , that's why Temari was there doing all the talking. The manager was in her thirties, dressed in a dark grey buisness suit and her blond hair was in a strict bun. Temari was a confident young woman, but this was not her usual scene and the woman in front of her made her feel a bit uncomfortable, and she hated it. And she was anxious to hear the manager's opinion, she didn't say much as she looked at the portfolio with photographs of Gaara's sculptures.

Gaara was his quiet self as he walked around the gallery looking at the art. Temari followed him with her gaze. She didn't know much about art, she wasn't that interested either, but even she could appreciate the talent and the beautiful paintings.

She turned her attention back to the manager. It was the gallery that had contacted Gaara. They had heard of him and wanted to meet him. Temari got the feeling that they where a bit sceptical but at the same time they seemed interested. Gaara was no ordinary artist. He worked with sand. He could do slmost anything with sand. He had won every sand castle competition he ever participated in and he continued to improve his skills. Now Temari just wished the woman would say something so they could go on with their lives.

The manager finally looked up from the photographs and smiled. Gaara joined them and she said that she liked his works. She wanted to see them in person before she made her final decision, but she was very interested in showIng his sculptures in the gallery.

Temari didn't realise how tense she had been until they left the gallery a moment later. They had made another appointment to show her his sculptures and Temari felt cautiously optimistic. She wasn't sure how Gaara felt, he rarely showed emotions and this was no exception. But she thought he was glad to finally get a chance to show his art in a real, well known gallery.

Before they parted he asked her to come with him next time and she agreed to do so. She appreciated the fact that he wanted her there. Sooner or later he would have to take care about things like this on his own, but for now she was glad she could help. Then she headed to the coffee shop. She still craved coffee. The line was long, but not as long as before. She almost expected to crash into that guy again, but luckily he was nowhere to be seen.

Temari sat down at a table outside the coffee shop and enjoyed her coffee. She took out her phone and called Kankuro. She told him about the meeting at the gallery and they talked for a while.

Both her brothers had an interesting line of work. Gaara was an artist working with sand. He used other materials too, but sand was always his main component. Kankuro was a puppeteer. He build his puppets himself. It wasn't the kind of puppets that ventriloquists use, no Kankuro's puppets had the size of full grown men. Most of them anyway. And all of them had some kind of special effects and hidden objects. He was really good at what he was doing and he was slowly making a name for himself. Some of his puppets could actually be seen in a show on tv

Temari's own work wasn't that interesting. For the moment she had a part time job at a convinience store. It paid her rent and she had money for food and clothes, but she wasn't planning on staying much longer. She wanted to move on, she just hadn't found the right job yet.

She finished her coffee and left the coffee shop. When she reached the sidewalk she turned around and looked at the coffee shop. Maybe she should apply for a job here? They weren't hiring at the moment, but there was no harm in thinking about it. Maybe she could make them think she was the employee they needed.


	6. Chapter 6

**This took a lot longer than I planned, again. I guess that's just how it is. Originally, I planned for this to happen later in the story, but it wanted to happen now, so here we go. I hope you like it.**

* * *

Shikamaru took out the navy green shirt from the dryer and held it out in front of him. He had washed it two times now and there was still a hint of that coffee stain. What a drag. That troublesome woman had ruined his favorite shirt. It wasn't expensive or anything, he just really liked it. He threw the shirt in the trash can and sighed. Looks like he had to get a new one.

* * *

Shikamaru had to get away from the office for a while. All the meetings where giving him a headache and he needed some coffee. The line was long as he entered the coffee shop and he put his hands in his pockets. The line moved slowly, and he was glad he wasn't in a hurry. When he finally came to the counter he placed his order and paid for it without paying much attention to the woman making the orders ready. Until she turned around holding his coffee. It was the woman with four ponytails. She seemed just as surprised to see him as he was to see her.

"You!" they said in union.

"You're not gonna throw it at me or spit in it or anything, are you?" Shikamaru asked and dug his hands deeper in his pockets.

She watched him for a couple of seconds before she answered.

"I wasn't going to, but..."

She removed the lid from the take away cup and got ready to spit in the black beverage. Then she glanced at him, noticed the look on his face and smirked. She put the lid back on and put the cup on the counter. Shikamaru just stared at her.

"Relax, it was just a joke."

She looked around at the horrified customers and co-workers.

"It was just a joke. I was joking. Doesn't anybody have a sense of humor around here?"

Her co-workers just glared at her and the customers behind Shikamaru seemed to wonder if they really wanted coffee that much. He decided that he did and grabbed the cup from the counter. He gave her a glare before he turned around and walked out of the coffee shop.

He hadn't expected to see her there. Or maybe he was, not just behind the counter. He wondered if she really would have spit in his coffee. Somehow it wouldn't have surprised him that much if she had. So she was working there. The thought of running into her on a regular basis wasn't that appealing. He took a sip from the coffee. But she did make good coffee...

* * *

It was quite calm at the coffee shop for the moment. Temari liked the hectic hours and the job wasn't that hard, but it was nice to have a break. She had thought about applying for a job here for about two days before she actually did it. Luckily for her, one of the girls working there had gotten a new job and left very sudden. Temari had come in before they even had a chance to announce they were hiring, and got the spot. She had a probationary period, and it was only her second day, but she liked the job already. And it was nice to get away from that convinient store and do something different.

She cleaned the counter and the register and thought about earlier when that guy with the high ponytail had come in. When he asked her if she was going to throw the coffee at him or spit in it, she just couldn't help it, she just had to mess with him. No one else had appreciated the joke, but the look on his face was worth it.

She looked up when a black clothed figure walked through the door. The hood covered most of his face, but she recognized him as her brother.

"Kankuro. What are you doing here?"

He removed the hood, and Temari stared at him. It wasn't Kankuro, but it sure as hell looked like him

A second black clothed figure walked through the door. The hood was removed and Kankuro smiled smugly at her.

"What the hell?"

"I got you there didn't I? I'm just trying out my new puppet."

Kankuro and his puppet walked up to the counter.

"It looks just like you."

"I know, that's the point."

"What are you gonna do with it? Let it break up with your girlfriends for you?"

"I haven't decided yet. I can make one for you if you want."

"I think I'll pass."

Temari admired her brother's talent, but having a puppet that looked just like her walking around would be too weird. A puppet that looked just like him was weird.

"What are you doing here?" she asked again.

"I've been walking around with this guy and got in the mood for some coffee. Thought I'd check this place out."

"Is he having coffee too?" Temari asked and looked at the puppet next to Kankuro.

"No," Kankuro smirked "He doesn't drink."

"Yet," Temari said and made his coffee.

They chatted for a while and then Kankuro left with his pupped following him behind.

"Those guys where really alike. Are they twins or something?"

Temari turned towards the scullery and looked at the woman standing in the doorway.

"Or something," she said and turned back to the counter to hide her smile


	7. Chapter 7

"Are you ready, Shikamaru?" Ino asked and leaned against the door frame to this office.

"Yeah, I'm just gonna finish this," he answered and continued typing on his laptop. He finished the sentence, saved the document and sighed out. He closed the laptop and grabbed his jacket from the backrest of his chair.

"Where's Choji?"

"He's talking to Asuma, but he should be finished soon."

They walked throught the office area and met Choji at the elevator. It was friday and they were grocery shopping and then making dinner togethet. It had been a while, and they were all looking forward to it. They still hadn't decided what to eat when they reached the grocery store, so they grabbed a cart each and decided to meet in twenty minutes.

Shikamaru lazily walked down the aisles not knowing what he was in the mood for. He put some vegetables in his cart and looked throught the refrigerated display but didn't find anything interesting. As he straightened and turned around he bumped into the person next to him and his feet got stepped on. It was the woman with four ponytails. Of course it was.

"Not you again," Shikamaru said with a sigh and thought about the last time he had seen her, when she pretended to spit in his coffee.

"You really have to stop doing this," she said and glared at him.

"Stop doing what?"

"Stop getting in my way."

"You're the one stepping on me."

"Because you're in my way."

"Troublesome woman," Shikamaru muttered and was glad to see Ino walking in their direction.

The woman glared at him one more time before she walked away.

"What was that about?" Ino asked.

"Just someone I keep running into. Don't know who she is, but she's troublesome."

"You say that about all women," Ino pointed out.

"Maybe, but she really is."

They met up with Choji at the registers and paid for their groceries. It was no surprise that Choji was the one with the most items, but Shikamaru didn't say anything. All he managed was some vegetables, garlic bread and a soda, so he was glad someone was more inspired than himself.

They took turns who's apartment they were staying at and this time it was Choji's turn. He was a good cook, and since he had done most of the grocery shopping he was in charge of cooking the food. Ino and Shikamaru helped with the vegetables and setting the table.

While eating dinner they talked about the good old times. They had been best friends since they were kids, and they had been through a lot together. It was fun talking about memories and laughing at them.

After dinner Ino prepared a dessert and they moved to the livimg room. They continued talking, this time about the future. Ino was planning to go to medical school. She and Sakura had talked about it a lot lately. Sakura was already on her way to become a doctor, and Ino wanted to become a nurse.

Ino could be pretty harsh, but Shikamaru knew that she was compassionate and caring, and determined when she set her mind on something. He knew she would be a good nurse. He was not going to stand in her way, and neither was Choji. It would be a little weird not working together anymore, but they would manage. They would still see each other in their free time.

Hours later both Ino and Shikamaru decided to crash in Choji's apartment. It was very late and neither of them felt like walking home.

* * *

"You are not bringing that puppet," Temari said and heard her brother smile into the phone as he asnwered.

"No."

""I mean it. If you try to fool me again I'm gonna smack you. That fan on the wall isn't hanging there just because it's pretty."

Temari looked at the fan hanging on the wall above her couch. It was a big fan, folded it was almost as tall as her. She had used it to stop a burguler once. He broke into her apartment not expecting her to fight him, especially not with a fan.

Kankuro had already managed to fool her twice with that look-alike-puppet, she was not going to let him do it again. He embarrassed her, and she hated feeling embarrassed. Hitting her brother with the fan could make them even, she wouldn't hit him that hard.

"I'm not bringing the puppet," Kankuro said. "But, you didn't say anything about Gaara."

"You are not bringing a puppet of Gaara!"

"I'm on my way to pick him up. We'll be there soon."

"The puppet or Gaara?"

"See you soon, Sis."

"Kankuro!"

Temari sighed. He had already hung up. It would not surprise her if he brought the damn puppet just to piss her off.

When they parked the car outside her apartment building she watched them through the window. Only two people walked out of the car and into the building, Kankuro and Gaars, But was one of them the puppet?

Kankuro grinned at her when she opened the door and let them in. There was no puppet, but Temari smacked him on the head just because.

They sat down in the kitchen and had dinner together. They talked about he new movie Kankuro was going to be a part of, or rather his creations. They had gotten a lot of praise in the tv-show he had worked on, and now some producers wanted to use some of them in a movie. And Gaara was going to have an exhibition at the art gallery. Temari was so proud of her brothers, and she really wished their parents could see them.


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm sorry I kept you waiting for so long. I haven't abadoned this story, I just haven't been writing much lately. I updated my other stories recently, and now it's time for this story to have a new chapter. Hopefully I'll be able to update more often from now on.**

* * *

Temari walked around in Gaara's studio and looked at his artwork. Choosing which sculptures to bring to the exhibition at the gallery was hard, but luckily (?) the manager from the art gallery, Ms Mori, was there to help them. Temari watched her walk around looking at the artwork and making notes. Temari wondered wat she was writing, She stopped by the sculpture Gaara had made of their mother. The sculpture represented a smaller version of Gaara being held in a protective embrace by a larger version of their mother. Gaara had made many amazing sculptures, but this was always going to be Temari's favorite.

"This is wonderful," Ms Mori said and walked up next to Temari looking at the sculpture of Gaara and their mother.

"It's our mother," Temari told her after a moment of hesitation. For some reason she didn't want to share that information with the woman. Too personal maybe.

"It is? That makes it even more interesting. We'll show it at the exhibition."

Temari wanted to object, but Gaara nodded his approval. Ms Mori wrote it down on her list of sculpures to bring to the gallery. She informed them that she was sending a truck to pick up the artwork the day before the exhibition started. A vernissage was going to be held the first evening and then the exhibition would be open for a couple of weeks.

"This is really happening," Temari said after Ms Mori had left the studio. "Are you nervous?"

"Yes."

He didn't look nervous, but Temari knew he was good at hiding his feelings. She wondered what he would be like at the vernissage. He was a big boy, he could do this, but Temari and Kankuro were his siblings so of course they would be there to support him.

* * *

Temari liked her job at the coffee shop a lot more than at the convinience store. Some of the customers could be annoying, same as at the convinience store, but she liked most of them. Right now, while cleaning tables, Temari looked at a guy she concidered annoying. The one with the high ponytail that always seemed to get in her way. He was sitting alone, with a piece of cake and a coffee mug in front of him. She put the cloth in her back pocket and walked up to him.

"You still owe me coffee, you know," she said.

He lifted his gaze to look at her and folded his arms when he recognized her.

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do."

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do."

"Well, in that case you owe me a new shirt," he said and arched an eyebrow.

"No, I don't," Temari protested.

"Yeah, you do. You're the one who ruined it."

"No, I don't."

"No shirt, no coffee," he said and leaned back with a light tilt of his head.

He owed her coffee. He was the reason all her coffee was waisted that time. Temari reached for the coffee mug standing in the middle of the table and took a sip.

"Oh my god, this is disgusting! How can you drink this?"

"It's not mine."

"No, it's mine," a blond girl said and sat down on the opposite side of the table.

"Still disgusting," Temari said and put the mug back on the table. Then she left them and walked to the kitchen. This did not turn out the way she had in mind.

* * *

"Who was that girl?" Ino asked. "Who does she think she is?"

"Just someone I keep running into. We kind of have a disagreement."

"Isn't she the one you bumped into at the grocery store?"

"Yeah, we tend do that," Shikamaru said and noticed the look on Ino's face. "What?"

"Nothing," she said looking innocent, but Shikamaru knew her better that that. Maybe he didn't want to know what she was thinking.

When they left the coffee shop Shikamaru's gaze quickly moved from Ino to the woman with four ponytails and then back at Ino again.

"Oh, I just remembered," Ino suddenly said. "There's a new exhibition starting at the art gallery next week. I know it's not really your thing, but do you think you and Choji want to go with me and Sai and check it out?"

"I'll think about it."

"Maybe she'll be there," Ino said to tease him.

"I hope not." Shikamaru said expressively and sighed when Ino smiled.

* * *

The vernissage was a success. Temar didn't like to admit it, but she had been a bit worried about what people would say about Gaara's art, or if they would even show up at the gallery in the first place. Gaara was in his best behaviour and Temari was so proud of him when she saw him talking to the people about his art and answered the questions they might have. Some of them had been a bit skeptical in the beginning, but they all seemed to agree that Gaara was very talented and his art was something they had never seen before. The gallery manager was pleased, and so were Gaara and his siblings.

Temari walked into the gallery a couple of days after the vernissage. She stopped as the door closed behind her and looked around. Even though she'd already seen her brother's art displayed like this, it still felt amazing to look at it. She took out her water bottle from her bag and drank from it as she looked around. Her eyes locked on the black haired guy with a high ponytail. He was standing next to the blond from the coffee shop. His girlfriend? No, she was holding hands with another black haired guy. A third guy, fat with brown hair, stood looking at a different sculpture but seemed to belong to the group.

The guy with the ponytail suddenly turned and looked at her. He sighed and dug his hands deeper in his pockets. Temari put the water bottle back in her bag and walked up to them.

"Do you like what you see?" she asked teasingly.

The guy looked confused for a second and then his bored expression was back.

"You're everywhere, aren't you?"

"It's my brother's exhibition."

"Really? It's..." the guy said and looked around.

"What, you don't like it?" Temari asked and took an intimidating step closer to the guy.

"I... I do. It's really good. I've never seen anything like this."

"That's good, 'cause I haven't stepped on anyone lately," Temari said with a small smile.

"I knew it, you're doing it on purpose."

"Not yet," Temari said, and as she turned around to leave she put her foot as close to the guy's foot as she could without stepping on it. Then she walked away to find Gaara.

* * *

"If I didn't know better, I would say that was almost like flirting," Ino whispered to Choji.

"Are you sure?" he asked with a quizzical look on his face.

"I heard you Ino," Shikamaru said and turned towards her. "That was not flirting. She's annoying."

How did Ino make that into flirting? What a drag.


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you so much for the follows, the faves and the reviews. This story is slow paced, but it will speed up a bit from here. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

Shikamaru let out sigh of satisfaction. He put his folded arms behind his head, stretched out his legs in front of him and crossed them by the ankles. He lay in the grass in the park with a big tree behind him. His eyes were closed and he was enjoying the moment. A moment alone, in silence. His mind was empty, right now he didn't have to think about anything at all. It was so nice. Unfortunately, it didn't last long. Something blocked the sun and a shadow fell over him. So typical.

"Go away Ino," he said without moving or even opening his eyes. "There's still 10 minutes left of my break."

""You're awake. I was starting to wonder if I should call someone."

Shikamaru opened his eyes and looked up at the woman with four ponytails. She was looking down at him, holding a take away coffee mug in one hand.

"You're not Ino," he said, stating the obvious.

"Nope," she said and took a sip from her coffee

"You really are everywhere, arent you," Shikamaru said as he stood up and leaned against the tree, digging his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

"Or maybe it's you who always show up where I am," the woman said and watched him over the mug as she took another sip.

"You make it sound like I'm a stalker or something. I'm not."

She shrugged and drank some more coffee. She continued to look at him and he was starting to feel a little uncomfortable. He had a feeling that was exactly why she did it.

"So..." he started, not knowing what to say.

"Shikamaru!"

Saved by Ino.

"You better go. You're girlfriend's calling," the woman with the ponytails said with a light nod in Ino's direction.

"She's not my girlfriend."

Why did he feel the need to tell her that? What did he care if this woman thought Ino was his grilfriend or not?

"Shikamaru, if you don't get here soon I'm..."

"I'm coming, Ino," he called back.

"Bye bye." The woman in front of him had a wry smile on her lips and gave him a little wave. Shikamaru sighed. He knew she was teasing with him. What a drag. He dug his hands deeper in his pockets and walked around the tree.

"There you are," Ino said as he approached her.

"Here I am. What's the hurry? There's still a couple of minutes left of my break."

"With the speed you're walking it will be time for afternoon tea when you get back to the office."

"We don't drink afternoon tea," he pointed out.

"That's not the point. If you want to get promoted you have to step up. I know they're talking about promoting you."

"I don't want to get promoted."

"Come on Shikamaru. You're the smartest guy around. Why wouldn't you want to get promoted."

Because he didn't want more responsibility. Because... He didn't say anything. He glanced at Ino. She knew him. And he knew she only wanted what was best for him. She always tried to push him and Choji. He was going to miss that when she went to medical school. They wouldn't get as much time together.

They walked into the office building and headed to their floor. Ino stopped at her office and he continued to his. He sat down on his office chair, laced his fingers together and stretched out his arms in front of him. He better start writing that report.

* * *

Temari was starting to enjoy messing with that guy. Pushing his buttons was so easy. She still didn't like him, but teasing him was fun.

She almost stumbled over him there in the park. She hadn't been expecting to find someone lying by a tree sleeping in the grass. She had looked at him for a little while before disturbing him. She didn't come to the park that often so she hadn't seen him there before. But he seemed to enjoy himself. Hiding from something, or someone?

She sat down and leaned against the tree, closing her eyes for a moment. She stretched out her legs and crossed them by the ankles. This was a pretty nice spot. She drank her coffee and watched the people in the park. Kids playing and kicking a ball, couples walking together, holding hands and having picnics.

She wasn't sure how long she sat there sipping her coffee, but she hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time. Maybe she should take Gaara and Kankuro to the park sometime. She had a vague memory of the three of them playing in the park as kids. Kicking a ball, just like the kids in front of her. Carefree and laughing. That was a long time ago.


	10. Chapter 10

**A new chapter, finally. I'm sorry I kept you waiting again. My inspiration keeps disappearing, and most of my ideas are for later in the story. I have to figure out a way to get there. Or maybe I'm just not good at writing ShikaTema. Anyway. A new chapter, and some progress.**

* * *

"Hiding again, are you?"

Shikamaru didn't get up this time. He stayed in the same position as before, he half lay on the ground, leaning against the tree with his arms folded behind his head.

"I'm not hiding," he said and continued looking in front of him. "I'm watching the clouds."

"Watching the clouds, huh?" she said and looked at the sky. It was clear with only a couple of white fluffy clouds.

"Yeah, it helps me think."

"Watching the clouds helps you think?" she asked and the amusement in her voice made him turne his head in her direction .

"Yeah, so? Are you going to repeat everything I say?"

"If repeating everything you say ticks you off, sure."

"What a drag," Shikamaru muttered.

The woman looked over her shoulder.

"Saved by your girlfriend again," she said and turned back to him.

"She's not my girlfriend," Shikamaru said and got up on his feet, and put hs hands in the pockets of his jeans.

"She's a girl and she's your friend, right? Girlfriend," she said with an arched eyebrow and an amused smirk.

Shikamaru sighed and dug his hands deeper into the pockets.

"What a drag," he muttered again and started walkimg towards Ino.

"See you around. Shikamaru."

"Hey, that's not fair," he said and turned around."You know my name but I don't know yours."

She was quiet for a while, as if she was considering wether to tell him or not.

"It's Temari."

"Temari."

He turned around again and walked up to Ino who was waiting for him.

"Her again?" Ino asked.

"Yeah."

"Are you friends now?" Ino asked and looked over her shoulder and then at Shikamaru.

"No, we're not," he answered. He looked over his shoulder and saw her leaning against the tree, facing his direction. She raised her coffee mug in a silent goodbye and a teasing smile touched her lips before she drank the coffee.

* * *

Temari drank the last of her coffee and watched Shikamaru and his friend walk back to work. It was the second time she met him here. It was just a coincidence though. She liked taking a stroll through the park on her lunch break, and when she noticed his feet sticking out from behind the tree she thought she'd mess a little with him again. _Temari._ She wouldn't admit it out loud, but she liked the way he had said her name.

She picked up her phone and checked the time. Lunch break was over. She better head back. It was a lot more customers than when she left, so she quickly got behind the counter and started preparing the orders. The other girls seemed relieved to see her back.

She was exhausted when her shift was over. She changed into her own clothes, hung her bag over her shoulder and walked through the coffee shop. When she reached the door she saw someone familiar in the corner of her eye.

"Wow, twice in the same day.. You're not stalking me, are you"

"Just coffee", Shikamaru said and raised his takeaway mug filled with coffee. "Busy day at work."

"Tell me about it. I've never seen so many people here before."

They walked outside, and they just happened to continue walking down the street together. They walked in silence, Shikamaru sipping his coffee.

"How's your brother's exhibition?" he asked after a while.

"It's going really well," Temari said, surprised he remembered. "He's sold several of his sculptures, and people are interested in seeing more of his art."

"That's great."

They fell into silence again. A silence that was abruptly interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Hey, Shikamaru! Nice to see you!"

"Naruto! Long time no see. How are you?" Shikamaru said and shared a quick hug with his friend.

"Busy, busy.. I don't know what I would do withouth Hinata."

"How is she?

"She's great. We're only here for the weekend, but we have to gather the gang and catch up." Naruto became quiet and looked at them. "Did I interrupt something? Are you guys on a date or something?"

Shikamaru and Temari quickly looked at each other and then at Naruto.

"What?! No!" they exclaimed in unison.

"Why would I wanna be on a date with him?" Temari added.

"We're just walking in the same direction."

"Right. Sorry," Naruto said and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Well, anyway. Let's meet this weekend. I'll talk to you later."

"Yeah, see ypu later," Shikamaru said and saw his friend disappear.

He glanced at Temari but wasn't sure what to say.

"That was weird," he managed.

"Yeah," was all she said. That was weird. Did it really look like they were on a date? No thanks.

"Well, I'm gonna turn here," Shikamaru said and pointed to his right.

Temari gave him a quick way without looking at him and continued walking down the street.

What a drag, Shikamaru thought as he crossed the street.

* * *

 **A short update, but at least it's an update. I won't say snything about the next chapter, but hopefully it won't take 2,5 months.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Do you guys still remember this story.? I'm sorry it took so long for this story to get a new chapter. I haven't been writing at all in several months. My inspiration is returning and I'm writing again. I hope you like this chapter.**

* * *

Shikamaru appreciated the fact that they met at a pub and not at a ramen shop. Growing up, had lunch and dinner, and it was still his favorite food. But luckily Hinata had convinced him to try something new.

The whole gang was there. Too much time had passed since the last time they met like this. Even Sasuke was there, and he didn't even like socializing like this. He was sitting next to Naruto, probably the only reason he was there. They had a complicated relationship. Growing up they had been like best friends and enemies at the same time. Sasuke had had a really though period in his life and got involved with some bad people, doing some bad things. But Naruto never gave up on him and it was thanks to Naruto and Sakura that he got his life back together again.

On the opposite side of Naruto was Hinata. She was a shy girl and had been in love with Naruto for as long as she could remember. It had taken years for Naruto to realise that though, and to realise that he loved her too. They seemed like an odd couple, but Hinata kept the hotheaded Naruto grounded.

Then there was Tenten, Lee and Neji, Hinatas strict and old fashioned cousin. Next to Sasuke was Sakura , Ino and Sai. And then himself, Choji and Kiba. The had all been friends since childhood, connected in different constellations.

Shikamaru didn't say much, he mostly listened to the others' conversations and observed them. That was just his nature. He leaned back in his chair and looked at the menu. He new he was going to order the same food he usually ordered, but maybe he would find something else that seemed tasty this time. But when it was time to order he played it safe and ordered the familiar.

Choji, who was sitting next to him, ordered several dishes and ir was a lot of food but Shikamaru had no doubt his friend would manage to eat it all. When it was time for dessert he had room for some ice cream. Ino surprised Shikamaru by ordering dessert because she usually didn't. Soon they where all having ice cream with berries and chocolate sauce.

They decided to stay for drinks and Ino got them all involved with some kind of drinking game. Shikamaru managed to escape when he had to find the restroom. On his way there he stumbled into more trouble.

In front of him was a clearly intoxicated man. Standing infront of the man was a very upset Temari.

"Did I ask you to grab my ass?" she questioned with a dangerously calm tone in her voice.

The quy, who had thought it funny before obviosly didn't any longer. He shook his head and so did his friends behind him. They all looked a little nervous. Temari stepped closer, reach down to his crotch and squeezed.

"The next time you touch me like that I will crush you."

The guy winced, and Shikamaru could almost feel the pain in his own crotch. The guy nodded and Temari let go. They noticed Shikamaru and Temari looked at him.

"Is there a problem?"

"Not at all," Shikamaru said and dug his hands deeper into the pockets of his jeans, relieved it wasn't his private parts that had been squeezed.

He met her gaze for a moment. As he walked passed them he couldn't help a glance at Temari's"ass", but quickly looked away

 _Don't even think about it_ , he told himself. _That woman is scary._

On his way back from the restroom he saw her again. This time she was talking to a brown haired guy, the same guy he had seen her with at the pizza place? She was smiling at something he said. Shikamaru looked the other way and walked back to the table.

"There you are," Ino said. "You're two shots behind."

He had thought he could escape this stupid game. He was wrong. What a drag.

* * *

It was a fun night after all. Except for the drinking game. Did people really like drinking games?

Naruto and Hinata had been out of town for a while so they had some catching up to do and moments to share. They parted at midnight. Naruto and Hinata where heading back to the Hyuga mansion, they where visiting her father and younger sister. They where leaving again tomorrow afternoon so it was a short visit.

The air was cool when they came outside. They hugged as goodbye and headed off in dofferent directions. Kiba, Shikamaru, Choji, Ino and Sai walked together for a bit before dropping off one bye one. Shikamaru followed Choj to get some midnight snacks and then they said good night. When Shikamaru finally reached his bedroom he fell onto the bed and fell asleep almost instantly. He dreamed about drinking games and as punishment for loosing he had to dance on the tables, without his clothes.


	12. Chapter 12

**Surprise. You didn't have to wait several months for this chapter. That's good, right? Please leave a review and let me know what you think about it.**

* * *

"You need to elaborate this part," Shikamaru said and pointed at the computer screen to show her which part he ment. "And if you move this paragraph to here," he pointed sgain, "you'll get a better flow."

"Thanks Shikamaru," Ino said. She had been working with this document for a while now and Shikamaru had been a great help.

"Sure, no problem."

He stretched and moved his head from side to side to release some of the tension in his neck. He had been leaning over Ino's shoulder for a while now while helping her with the document. He should have used a chair, but that was to late now.

He looked through the glass wall that separated the office from the open office landscape and at the clock hanging on the wall over the elevator doors. Ten more minutes and then he would have his lunch break. It had been a busy morning. He was looking forward to some cloud watching.

He watched the elevator doors slide open and saw a woman with with four ponytails walk out, carrying two boxes used for catering. She looked around the room like she was searching for something, or someone. Temari. What was she doing here?

Shikamaru put his hands in his pockets and lazily walked towards the elevator.

"What are you doing here? he asked, acting like he didn't really care.

She turned towards him.

"So this is where you work. Nice. " She tilted her head in the direction of the boxes. "I'm here for a delivery. There's a meeting here somewhere?"

That's right. There was a meeting with associates from another office in the conference room down the hall. So they had called in an order from the coffee shop. He didn't know they had delivering. He glanced at the clock. Five more minutes.

"This way. I'll show you."

He started walking down the corridor and she followed him close behind. He didn't help her with the boxes, she didn't look like she needed or wanted any help. He stopped at the end of the corridor and knocked on the door.

"Shikamaru. I didn't know you you'd be the one bringing the food," Kurenai said when he opened the door.

"I'm not. I'm just showing the way."

He took a step back and let Temari walk past him into the room. He left her there and went to get his lunch. He was gonna take it with him to the park. That way he could eat and watch the clouds at the same time.

It was an awkward ride down to the lobby. Just as the doors to the elevator were about to close Temari pressed the button and they opened again. She walked in next to him and put the empty boxes on the floor in front of her. Neither of them said anything. He glanced at her a few times, but everytime she moved he pretened that he wasn't. The ride felt longer than it actually was. When the doors finally opened Shikamaru was the first to leave the elevator. Temari was close behind but they still didn't say anything. He wasn't sure why. This was such a drag. He just wanted to get to the park and watch the clouds.

They finally came outside and they both kind of stopped and glanced at each other. Temari was the first one to speak.

"Well, guess I'll see you around."

"Yeah."

Shikamaru rubbed the back of his head. He could see his favorite spot in the park from here. He just wanted to get there.

"Going to the park?" Temari asked.

"Yeah, it's my lunch break."

"You better get going before it's over then. I'm going back to the coffee shop."

"See you later," Shikamaru said, and then he wondered why he said it like thst, they weren't planning on seeing each other later.

Temari walked back to the coffee shop and he walked over to the park. He sat down in the grass, leaned against the tree and opened his lunch box.

* * *

Temari was surprised that they wanted her to deliver the coffee and the sandwiches. They told her what was ordered and showed her how to pack it. The she was on her way. It was a bit tricky at first but she quickly learned how to handle the boxes. Shegot them through the entrance of the office building, and in the elevator to the right floor. When the elevator doors opened she looked around and had no idea where to go.

Then she saw him, Shikamarau, slowly walking towards her with his hands in his pockets.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"So this is where you work. Nice. " She tilted her head in the direction of the boxes. "I'm here for a delivery. There's a meeting here somewhere?"

"This way., I'll show you."

He started walking down the corridor and she followed him close behind. He didn't help her with the boxes, ans she neither wanted or needed any help. He stopped at the end of the corridor and knocked on the door,

"Shikamaru. I didn't know you you'd be the one bringing the food," Kurenai said when he opened the door.

"I'm not. I'm just showing the way."

He took a step back and let Temari walk past him into the room. Then he left her and she handed out the coffee mugs and the sandwishes. She managed not to spill on anyone. A faint feeling of relief passed through her when she closed the door to the conference room behind here. She found her way back to the elevator and pressed the button just as the doors were about to close. And there he was again.

Neither of them said anything on the way down and the silence was pretty awkward. She noticed him glancing at her, and he turned away everytime she moved. She couldn't help teasing him a bit. When the doors opened he quickly left the elevator and she followed him outside. They both stopped and glanced at each other again.

"Well, guess I'll see you around." she said and shifted the boxes for a better hold.

"Yeah."

Shikamaru rubbed the back of his head. Temari followed his gaze towards the patk

"Going to the park?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's my lunch break."

"You better get going before it's over then. I'm going back to the coffee shop."

"See you later," Shikamaru said,.

It wasn't like they where planning on meeting again. So why did she like that he said it?


	13. Chapter 13

Shikamaru was getting bored. Leaning against the wall of the flower shop he took out his phone and started searching the internet. Anything to make time pass by. Ino could take forever even though she said it would only take a minute.

She finally came out on the street and he started walking next to her without taking his eyes off the phone. He was just going to finish reading this, only a paragraph left. He suddenly felt like he was being watched and looked up. He looked around and saw Ino standing outside the flower shop, her arms crossed over her chest. He turned to the woman he had asumed was Ino and looked into Temari's teal eyes. She arched an eyebrow and smirked at him. He looked at Ino again. She was pissed. What a drag.

"Shikamaru, what the hell?!" she yelled. "You were supposed yo wait for me, not walk away with her."

"I'm not walking away with anyone," he objected.

"Oh, really?" Ino questioned and glared at him. "Then why are you over there with her and not waiting over here like you were supposed to?"

Ino could be such a drama queen. He didn't understand why she was so upset. Was it really that big of a deal? What a drag.

"I'm..." he started and sighed. He looked at Temari for some kind of support, but she just smiled and gave him a quick wave.

"She's all yours. See you around."

It was probably not a good time to think of how beautiful that smile was. Shikamaru put his phone back and then dug his hands in his pockets. He sighed again and walked ip to Ino.

"I thought that was you, I obviously wasn't looking."

"What part of me looks like that?" Ino asked gesturing towards her body and glared in Temari's direction.

"I said I wasn't looking. What were you doing in there anyway? You said a minute, not an eternity. Now we won't have time to eat and you're already cranky."

He was aware that Ino might cut his head off for that. He was getting a bit cranky himself. She glared at him, he glared back.

"It didn't take that long, and I'm not cranky." But she stomped her feet on the ground and then walked away. "Let's go."

Shikamaru just stood there and watched her for a while. No, not cranky at all. Of course not.

"Are you coming or not?" she asked without turning around

He dug his hands deeper in his pockets and started walking.

"I'm coming."

* * *

They made it in time for the movie, and they managed to get a burger before it started. It was not what they had planned, they where supposed to have dinner at a restaurant, but at least the had something to eat. The movie was good, and Choji ate his potato chips like his life depended on it. The more tense the plot became, the faster he chewed. He was the one who had chosen the movie. Ino was a bit sceptical at first, but quickly changed her mind. If she hadn't been so caught up in the movie herself, she might have said something about his eating.

After the movie they headed for Ino's apartment. They were all spending the night there. Shikamaru and Choji was going to share the spare bedroom, like many times before. But before they went to bed they had somevcoffee and chatted in her living room. Choji fell asleep first, on the couch, so they put a blanket over him. Ino went to her bedroom and Shikamaru headed to the other one. Even though he just has coffee he fell asleep almost immediately.

* * *

As Shikamaru reached the coffee shop he noticed Temari walking towards it from the other direction. She walked slowly, almost nonchalantly, and kept her gaze on hIm.

"I see your head is still attached," she commented when she came closer

She looked around his neck like she was searching for something. It made him kind of nervous.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Checking for scars, but I can't see any, so I guess you got away pretty easy." She straigtened up and opened the door. "She's quite the drama queen, isn't she?"

"She can be," Shikamaru admitted and followed her inside. "But she's a great friend."

"I bet. She seems like the loyal protective kind. But still a drama queen."

Temari disappeared for a bit and Shikamaru got in line to order. She appeared behind the counter a moment later wearing her work clothes and started taking the customers orders. When it was Shikamaru's turn she tilted her head a bit and looked at him.

"So, do you want to try something new today, or are you gonna play it safe and order what you always order?."

Shikamaru hoped he wasn't blushing when he told her what he wanted. The same thing he always ordered. He got his coffee and left the shop. When he came outside he turned around and looked at her through the window while drinking his coffee. They almost acted friendly just now. How did that happen?


	14. Chapter 14

Shikamaru grabbed at water bottle from the cooler and drank half the bottle in one go. Getting something to drink was more of an excuse to take a break from what he was working on than that he was thirsty. The proposal he was writing for his next project was such a drag. He'd rather be cloud watching but he had to have the document ready at the end of the day. It wasn't difficult, it was just boring. Really boring.

He took another sip of water and sighed. He better continue. He headed back to his office and when he came close to the elevator he saw the doors open amd Temari stepped out. She was wearing her work clothes and carried a bag that he assumed was filled with sandwiches.

"You again," he said.

He hadn't seen her in a couple of weeks, not since she wanted to see if his head was still attached after he accidentally followed her instead of Ino. He hoped he wasn't blushing.

"Delivery," she said and patted the bag with sandwiches.

"Who's the delivery for?" he asked flatly.

There was no meetings in the conference room as far as he knew.

Temari picked up a note from the bag and read the name written on it.

"Choji Akimichi?"

"Choji?"

Shikamaru looked at the clocknon the wall over the elevator. Lunch time already, huh? Where did time go? What a drag.

"Yeah, you know him?" Temari asked.

"Yeah. I'll show you to his office."

"Thanks."

Choji's office was close so it didn't even take a minute to get there. He saw them coming and got up from his chair with a wide smile.

"Good, you're here. I'm so hungry."

 _You're always hungry,_ Shikamaru thought, but he didn't say anyrhing.

Temari reached down in the bag and picked up four sandwiches. Choji payed her and couldn't wait to take a bite from one of the sandwiches. He gave her two tumbs up and continued eating.

"See you later, Choji," Shikamaru said and left his office followed by Temari.

They walked together to the elevator. She pressed the button and waited for the elevator to arrive. The doors opened and she stepped inside. Shikamaru watched her, hands in his pockets and a bored expression on his face.

"No cloud watching today?" she asked.

"No, I have to work."

"See you around then," she said.

"See you around."

He watched her press the button for the lobby and the doors closed. He put his hands deeper in his pockets and sighed. He had to do a little more work before he had his lunch.

* * *

When Temari came back to the coffee shop she found both her brothers leaning against the wall next to the entrance, Kankuro with his arms folded over his chest and Gaara with his hands behind his back.

"What are you guys doing here?" she asked

"We just thought we'd have lunch together," Kankuro said,

"You're up to something, aren't you?" Temari asked suspiciously.

Kankuro just smirked and stepped away from the wall. He opened the door for Temari.

"Allright," she said. "I'm just gonna leave this and then we can go somewhere and eat."

She was surprised to see them there waiting for her. She had no idea what they where up to, and of course Kankuro wouldn't say anything. She had a feeling it had something to do with his puppets though. But how was Gaara involved?

She put the bag away, quickly changed from her workshirt to her own, and then walked out to her brothers. They where in the mood for pizza so they went to the restaurant where they usually met on their sunday lunches.

"There's a buyer for the sculpture of mother," Gaara suddenly said.

Temari topped eating and looked at him. She knew which sculpture he ment. She new how much that sculpture ment to him, how much it ment to her.

"You can't sell it," she said.

"No, I won't. But maybe I can make something similar. And the gallery wants me to make more sculptures for them."

"That's great, Gaara. I'm happy for you."

"I got news too," Kankuro said with a proud grin."When my work on the upcoming movie is done, I'll be working on a movie franchise. I'm signing the contract later today."

"Oh, Kankuro, that's amazing!"

They weren't much for hugging, but she wrapped them both into a hug. She was so happy and proud of them. They hugged her back, and she got back to her seat.

Kankuro couldn't say much about the movie franchise, not yet anyway, so they mostly talked about Gaara's sculptures. Temari's lunch break was suddenly over and she had to get back to work. It was going to be so cool to see more of Kankuro's puppets in a movie, several movies even. A movie franchise ment he had work for several years. And Gaara was making more sculptures that the gallery would expose and sell on his behalf. Life was really working out for them.

* * *

Temari was sent on delivery jobs more and more, and she liked getting away from the coffee shop. It made the job more interesting. She was often sent to the office where Shikamaru was working, and he just happened to be the one showing her around everytime time she came there. Sometimes he followed her in the elevator on the way down when he was cloud watching. Even though the conversations where pretty casual, they where slowly getting to know each other.


	15. Chapter 15

**I'm making a time skip so this story can move forward. I hope you like thid chapter.**

* * *

The last few months had been busy. Shikamaru had been swamped with work, as soon as he handed over one project another project was given to him. It had been a lot of work for allof them lately. But Shikamaru wondered if they where testing him. He knew a promotion was waiting around the corner. A promotion he still wasn't sure he wanted. He knew he didn't want more respondibility. He was satisfied with the asignments he already had.

The subject had been up for discussion several times lately. Ino could be really stubborn when she wanted and she wouldn't give up trying to persuade him. Surprisingly it had been a topic in his conversations with Temari too. But most surprising was that he and Temari where becoming some kind of friends.

She came to the office with sandwiches and drinks from the coffee shop, and even though he didn't have to show her around anymore, he always did. And somehow they started walking together on the way home from work. It started with him coming by the coffee shop to buy some coffee on his way home, and she ended her shift at the same time, They where walking in the same direction so they walked together. It soon became a habit. When he got of work he came by the coffee shop and bought coffee and then they left together, Sometimes he just waited outside, leaning against the wall until she came out. Their conversations were mostly casual and sometimes they barely spoke at all. But they were getting to now each other. And somehow the promotion came up and she told him what she thought about it. I didn't take long for him to understand that she agreed with Ino.

He still thought she was scary, but he had come to like their bantering and her smart remarks. She was intelligent and even though she was a bit rough, she occasionally showed a softer side of her.

He took a sip from his beer and then put the glas back on the small table. He had been at the club for a while, but he had not yet been dragged into Ino's drinking game and he planned to keep it like that. She and the other girls where further in the back, and he knew some of the guys where somewhere in there too. But for the moment he enjoyed being by himself.

"Hiding again, are we?"

Shikamaru turned around and stood face to face with Temari. She wore a puple and black dress, had a drink in her hand and a smirk on her lips.

"Who said I was hiding?" he said and took another sip.

"Oh, I'd say it's pretty obvious," Temari said and took a sip of her drink. "Ino and the others are having the first round in her drinking game. And since you're not there joining them, I'd say you're avoiding them."

"I'm just not in the mood to get drunk tonight."

"How responsible of you."

Shikamaru shrugged in response and took another sip. He wasn't planning on getting drunk, but he wasn't exactly sober either. He listened with only half an ear as Temari told him that she was meeting Kankuro and Gaara to celebrate Gaara's latest success. The gallery was getting more and more questions and requests of his art and wanted him to make more sculptures for them. He watched her lips as she spoke.

He noticed a weight on his toes and looked down.

"Hey, you're standing on my feet again."

"That's because you're standing to close."

She put her hand on his chest and gave him a gentle push. He took a step back. He hadn't realised he was leaning in on her. If he had been any closer he would have been close enough to kiss her. Wait, why would he want to kiss her?

He watched her join her brothers and finished his beer. Clearly he was more intoxicated than he thought. It was time to go home.

* * *

Temari felt his gaze on her back as she joined her brothers at the bar. From the corner of her eye she saw Shikamaru leave the club. She had to step on him to stop him from coming closer. He probably wasn't even aware he was leaning in on her. For a second or two she thought he might kiss her, and that was when she stepped on him.

She didn't give it any more thought because Kankuro was teasing her for being flustered. She smacked him on the back of his head and told him the first round was on him.

But after a couple of drinks the image of Shikamaru leaning in on her with his gaze on her lips as she talked to him came back. She didn't want to think about it, especially not with her brothers sitting next to her.


	16. Chapter 16

"Didn't I tell you not to make a puppet that looks like me?" Temari asked over her shoulder as she looked at the puppet in front of her. Well, it wasn't exactly a puppet yet, but it was going to be. It only had half a body, the upper part, and was strapped to the wall. The head had no face yet, but blond spiky hair pulled into two ponytails.

"I didn't," Kankuro answered without taking his eyes of the puppet he was currently working on. It was laying on the table in front of him and he was adjusting some string.

"I'm looking at it," Temari said, tilted her head and folded her arms.

Kankuro glanced up and then continued with his work.

"That's not you. It may look like you, but it's not. It's for the movie."

"So I'm gonna be in your movie?" Temari asked and glanced at him over her shouulder.

"It's not you." He said, still not interrupting his work.

Temari wasn't convinced but she let it go. She turned around. The wall behind Kankuro was covered with designs of his puppets and gadgets. It was the first puppet he ever made up to the most resent one. She moved her gaze to Kankuro and watched him test his new puppet. Almost invincible strings connected the body of the puppet to skin coloured cloves and he made the puppet move its arms and legs by moving his hands and fingers. If Temari hadn't known about the strings, it would have looked like he used telekineses. But she knew he wasn't telekinetic.

Kankuro got up from the chair he had been sitting on and took a few steps back. The puppet sat up, turned towards him and left the table. It walked towards him and he moved backwards a couple of more steps before they both stopped. The puppet turned around and waved at Temari. A small smile appeared on her lips as she waved back.

She had grown up with him making puppets so she was used to it, but it still amazed her. He was an exellent puppet master, and his talent and craftmanship became greater for each year. His designs had developed a lot over the years and was far from the puppets he made as a child.

This one looked like a man in his twenties. He had brown hair that fell down his eyes, a plain t-shirt and pants. It had a slight resemblance to the one he made looking like himself, but still completely different.

The puppet bowed and walked back to the table. It lay down again and Kankuro removed the gloves and put them next to the puppet.

"Ready for lunch, Sis?" he asked.

"I'm ready if you are. But you're not bringing him are you?"

They both looked at the puppet on the table.

"You could pretend he's your boyfriend," Kankuro suggested.

"No thank you," Temari said and rolled her eyes at her brother.

Kankuro smirked and grabbed his jacket from the hanger by the door. He locked the studio and they walked down the stairs. They came out on a busy street. They weren't the only ones going out for lunch.

"Is Gaara meeting us at the restaurant?" Kankuro said as they stopped at a red light,

"He's having one of his bad days, but I'll check up on him later. He's been so caught up in work lately."

"Is he taking his meds?"

"He forgot the other day, but took it when I reminded him. You know the gallery ordered more of his sculptures. No one expected his art to be so popular, especially not him. Maybe he just needs a break."

The light turned to green and they crossed the street.

"Give me a call when you're on your way there, I'll stop by too," Kankuro said and opened the door to the restaurant.

It was akready cowded, but they found a tabke by the window. They left their jqckets abd then walked to the buffet to get their food. When she walked back to the table she noticed a familiar spiky ponytail. He was sitting with his back towards her and a couple of tables away so he didn't see her. He was sitting there with Ino and Choji. She turned away before any of them noticed her.

A mental image of Shikamaru leaning in on her and then backed away when she stepped on him flashed before her eyes. Still something she didn't want to think about. Kankuro sat down on the other side of the table and saved her from thinking more about it. She looked at his plait

"Have you eaten at all lately?" she asked him.

He looked down on his plate. It was so full the food almost fell off.

"Of course I have. But I'm hungry and this is really good."

They continued to talk about Kankuro's work. He had two more puppets to make, and he also had to finish the puppet Temari had seen hanging on the wall. It took time making them, and he was very thorough, but he he was in no hurry yet. Temari looked forward to see his new creations, and to see them in the movie. Though that would take some time since the filming hadn't started.

They finished their meal and then Temari walked her brother back to the studio. They said goodbye and she stopped by the coffee shop to buy some coffee before she headed home. She sat down on her couch, drank her coffee and leaned back. He sighed and closed her eyes. She fell into some kind of slumber and dreamed that Kankuro's new puppets courted each other.


	17. Chapter 17

**Thank you so much for your favorites, follows and reviews. They mean so much to me and I love seeing your thoughts on my story.**

* * *

Man, what a drag! Shikamaru rubbed his face and raked his hands through his hair. This client was driving him crazy. He had been in charge of this project for four whole days, and he was already losing his mind. It had started pretty well. Shikamaru had presented his idea for the project and the client had been on board with everything. Then he wanted to change this and that, oh, what if we do this instead. Every suggestion and changes Shikamaru made had the green light, and then the client had second thoughts and changed his mind. Again.

Shikamaru glared at the computer screen and wondered what he was supposed to do now.

"Catch."

Shikamaru looked up just in time to catch the sandwich that was tossed at him.

"Nice reflexes," Temari said. She was casually leaning against the doorway with her arms folded over her chest. The sandwich bag told him she was working.

"I didn't order this," he said and looked at the sandwich.

"No, your friends did. You skipped lunch and Choji's afraid you'll starve to death."

"I skipped lunch?" He looked at the clock above the elevator. It was way past lunch time. No cloud watching in the park today...

Choji came into view and Shikamaru waved with the sandwich and gave him a thumps up. Choji smiled brightly and gave him thumps up in return and continued walking to wherever he was going.

"I can't believe I missed lunch."

He realized he was hungry and unwrapped the sandwich and took a big bite. Chicken and curry sause. He gave Temari a thumps up while he finished chewing.

"Nice. Thanks."

"I'll better get going. Don't overwork yourself."

Temari straightened and started to turn around.

"Too late for that," Shikamaru complained.

"You're a smart guy, Shikamaru. I'm sure you'll find a way to make it work."

She was already on her way, but looked at him over her shoulder. A quick smile appeared before she turned around and headed towards the elevator.

Shikamaru folded his arms behind his head, leaned back in his chair and watched her go. The moment the elevator doors closed he lost his balance and the chair fell to the floor. He managed to stand up and cringed at the sound of the chair hitting the floor. He quickly looked around, anxious to see if anyone had noticed. Everybody seemed busy with their own work, but he still felt his cheeks warm from embarrassment. Then he put the chair back and continued eating his sandwich.

* * *

When he finally left work at the end of the day his energy was drained. He was getting a headache and was in desperate need of coffee. He got in line and put his hands in his pockets. Only three people where standing in front of him and he didn't have to wait long for his turn. He flinched when someone suddenly snapped their fingers right before his eyes.

"Did you really fall asleep just now?" Temari asked from the other side of the counter.

Shikamaru yawned and rubbed the back of his head.

"I guess I did..."

"You really had a rough day, huh?"

"A rough week. Now I just want to go home and sleep."

"Are you sure you'll even make it home? You look like you're about to fall asleep again."

"Yeah, it's fine," Shikamaru said and yawned again. "Just give me the coffee."

She gave him the coffee and he drank from it and turned around with a wave of goodbye. She watched him go and then quickly continued with the next order. She noticed her co-worker glancing at her.

"What?"

"He's cute.."

"I haven't noticed."

Of course she noticed, he just wasn't her type. And she didn't want to think about it while working, so she put it in the back of her head and continued with the next customer.

* * *

When Shikamaru finally came home he sat down on the couch, leaned back and sighed heavily. He was grateful that it was friday. He didn't have to think about work for two whole days.

He put his feet on the table and closed his eyes. He was just about to fall asleep when his phone rang. He was too tired to answer but the sound was getting annoying. He reached for the phone and answered without opening his eyes.

"Yeah?"

"Finally," Choji said. "You wanna go get some barbeque?"

"Sure," he said and dropped the phone as he fell asleep.


End file.
